Driving in Venezuela

Driving in Caracas and throughout Venezuela is an adventure. It generally helps to have Diplomatic licence plates, and more importantly, the Diplomatic Carnet, which serves as my drivers license. I haven't had to use it yet, but I've seen and heard about co-workers who flash it at the "police checkpoints" that are randomly set up on the roads. You lower your window slightly, flash your carnet, and say "Soy diplomatica" and keep driving. The checkpoints are usually set up as a ploy for getting bribes from drivers to be allowed to pass through (and may be set up by real police or otherwise). Those manning them are known to have guns, and generally just want money. But they generally leave diplomats alone once you declare yourself as such.

At night, anything goes. Red lights either mean 'stop and go when you can' or else they don't mean much at all. During the day they're obeyed a little more regularly. At night, it's not a good idea to be stopped on the road unless you absolutely have to, as a sitting car is a great target for theft, often by a motorcyclist, which are ubiquitous here. It was an adjustment for me to drive in the states again, where you have to sit through the entire red light, even when there's no one around (just ask Wayne!).

One of the first landmarks we learned after arriving was the "triangle of death" where three streets converge around a triangular median, with two lanes on each of the three sides and no traffic signals. The idea is to approach tentativey but assertively, and pounce when you see daylight. When I first arrived, I commented to one of the motorpool drivers that I didn't think I'd EVER want to drive here, and he gave me a good word picture that has served me well. He said "traffic here is like a river; it flows, faster at some places and slower at others, but it doesn't stop. If you stop you'll completely mess up the flow." That's my motto when nosing my way in at intersections with no traffic signals.

There are no known rules in regards to open containers of alcohol in the vehicle or car seats for babies/children. Over the holidays, my co-worker watched a woman across the street polish off a beer, set her 4-year old in the passenger front seat, crack open another beer, and then take off driving. Speed bumps are everywhere, as are huge potholes, so it's hard to pick up much speed in the city anyway.

GPS is a lifesaver for me here. There's a really good Venezuela map for Garmin available for free download online. Due to the mountains and frequent heavy clouds, the signal is sometimes delayed significantly, so I've done my fair share of touring different parts of the city that I have no need to see while waiting for a signal to reach "Javier" so he can tell me where to go. It's also not a good idea to mount the GPS on the windshield or dashboard because it invites someone to steal it from you while you're stopped in traffic, so I've been mastering the art of balancing it on my cupholder or holding it in my lap while I drive. It may be more possible to mount it once I get my windows tinted, which I'm still trying to figure out, so until then I keep it down.

There's an incredibly high fatality rate for motorcycle drivers, so State employees are not even allowed to bring motorcycles here. Nonetheless, traffic is so congested almost all of the time that many people are willing to take the risk and ride them in order to get through the city much more efficiently. They weave in and out of cars, creating extra lanes, and often are inches away from me as they whip past my car. We're advised that SUVs are a good option (but not required) for getting around here. I will say I'm glad I traded in my manual transmission with all the steep mountain roads and the stop and go traffic. I'll be able to sell it here when I leave for the same price I bought it for last year.

I can't finish talking about driving without mentioning gas prices. It's sold by the liter, and I must admit I can't even tell you how much it costs per liter. All I can tell you for sure is that I pay less than the equivalent of 1 USD to fill my 13-galon tank. I generally tip the man that fills it up as much as the cost of the gas. That is one thing that I will always appreciate. Apparently, there were protests in the streets a year ago or so when gas prices increased approximately 25% to their current level.

January Reflections

I have realized over the last few months that many people in the States don't hear a lot about what's going on in Venezuela. I thought I'd put some links and give a high-level overview of what life is like here.

Venezuela is a socialist country. There is an elected president and parliament, but in the last few years, after being re-elected, Chavez passed a referendum to eliminate limits on re-election. The next presidential elections will be in 2012, and it's anyone's guess whether he'll convince enough people to vote for him again next year to keep him in office. (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ve.html)

In the last several years, crime has been on the rise, with a very high percentage of crimes going unpunished (and most unreported). The murder rate is one of the top 5 in the world, and was cited as being more dangerous than Baghdad in an infamous New York Times article in August of last year. (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/world/americas/23venez.html)

The Department of State website, travel.state.gov, lays out the statistics, and is very informative. http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1059.html

These factors, plus the deteriorating infrastructure of the city and the frequent shortages of staples such as dairy products, eggs, specific types of produce, electricity, etc. are among the circumstances that contribute to the "hardship" status of this post. You never know what the country's president will declare on one of his nightly two-hour TV or radio programs. It is commonplace for him to take over all stations and make only his own broadcast available. Daily, there are multiple reports of expropriations of private properties and businesses.

While it definitely is a "hardship" post, there are plenty of factors that make me really enjoy working and living in Caracas. The department takes security very seriously, and they take great measures to help us stay safe. The weather here is pretty ideal. It's usually in the 70s or 80s, and now that the rainy season is over, I'm really loving the sunshine. I have wonderful co-workers, both local and direct-hire Americans. Because we have to have such secure housing due to department standards, they provide housing in one of the very nice areas of the city, and my apartment is beautiful. The landscape is beautiful, and the city of Caracas is surrounded by mountains, coast, plains, jungles, and waterfalls. I am looking forward to seeing as much of it as I can over the next year and a half.

Most of the Venezuelans that I've gotten to know so far are very proud of their country, but often are disappointed by how things are going right now. They've seen deterioration in freedoms, infrastructure, economic situations, etc. in the last decade or so. I haven't noticed any racism here (and am told it's really not an issue), though there is quite a variety of racial diversity. What are more prevalent are classism and heated tension between political parties.

One of the biggest hardships has been being away from my family during what has been a really challenging time for my parents. They've been fighting mom's cancer for about 14 months now, and I really wish I could be there to give more concrete support. One of my biggest comforts is the fact that they are surrounded by so many caring friends and family who are there for them in many ways I can't be. I had a great visit home at Christmas when Wayne, Joanna, Matt, Dan, and Beth were also there.

So while there are definite challenges and difficulties associated with living here, I'm also getting into a groove here and starting to settle in to this new life in Caracas. I'm thankful for good friends who are making the transition easier on both ends, and I look forward to seeing what is to come!

beautiful January weather

Hi all,
As I watch the news about the weather in the US, one thing I have to be thankful for is the beautiful weather here. Today I spent a couple hours laying by the pool of the hotel that I lived at when I first got here. It is the perfect relaxing thing to do on a Sunday afternoon :)

I'm settling back into my routine little by little. When I first arrived, there was a feeling that I had to do something all the time with a big group of people, both getting to know everyone here at the embassy and trying to get to know the city. Since I've returned from Illinois, I feel like I've kind of turned a corner toward not feeling obligated to accept every social invitation that comes up. I love hanging out with my co-workers and seeing new things, but I feel a little better taking some time to do things on my own, or feeling ok just staying at home and cleaning, cooking, etc.

This week, a couple of my coworkers (who are married to each other) from Carle are down here visiting her family. She is actually from Colombia, but lived here in Caracas for about 20 years. It was great to get together with them and catch up a bit with them this weekend. I'm looking forward to the chance to catch up a little more on rest tomorrow, since it's a holiday for the embassy.

Chau!

back in the saddle

Hi all,
Sorry not to have kept up with my blog the last couple of weeks. I had a wonderful trip home, and have now been back in Caracas for a week. I was blessed to have no problems whatsoever with my travel. No delays, lost luggage, etc., which is unheard of with the airport here in Caracas. In fact, the motor pool driver assigned to pick me up from the airport got there about 10 minutes after I got through customs and everything on my way home.

It was wonderful to spend time with family and loved ones in Illinois. The time was short, but I think we did a good job of making the most of it. Joanna had a couple of bridal showers, we had a family Christmas celebration with everyone at my parents' house, including Wayne and Joanna's fiance, Matt.

I've gotten right back into the swing of things here in Caracas. Lots and lots of people leave the city during their extended holiday vacations, and traffic dies down considerably between mid-December and mid-January. This past Sunday was when you could really feel it pick up again; the streets were crazy with people getting back into town before school started up again on Monday.

Yesterday I purchased a boxing bag from a co-worker who is leaving post, and I was able to get it assembled in my apartment and box for a little while. I haven't been able to since I left Washington, so it was really fun!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!